Anita Abraham appointed director of Experiential Learning

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Anita Abraham, director of experiential learning, effective February 19, 2019. In this role, Anita will work with university stakeholders to strategically expand curricular experiential learning by developing and promoting university-wide processes and best practices that enhance students’ experiential education. Anita will assure ongoing development of comprehensive and high-impact experiential learning programs, and will facilitate program leadership and academic support within the faculties. She will also foster relationships with public, private and community partners to develop, create and deliver new experiential learning opportunities.

Anita joins Ryerson from Meal Exchange (external link) , a national charity engaging post-secondary students and campuses across Canada to shift the food system through national programs that address student food insecurity, campus procurement, indigenous food sovereignty and food policy. Anita joined the organization 17 years ago as a student volunteer, and in 2014, she was named Executive Director. Over the past five years, Anita has led the development of strategic clarity and impact processes, organizational/departmental theories of change and evaluation frameworks by working with university administrators, staff and board members.

With extensive leadership in higher education contexts for more than a decade, Anita has worked at the University of Waterloo, University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University in various capacities, focusing on program design, experiential education, qualitative and quantitative research and community partnerships. From 2011-14, Anita was the manager of knowledge mobilization, with Social Innovation Generation (external link)  (SiG) at the University of Waterloo with accomplishments including establishing a prestigious graduate program in social innovation and co-creating the SiG Knowledge Hub (external link) , a comprehensive resource about social innovation.

Anita is the founder of Studio Impact, teaching citizen development and systems change to student leaders through workshops and diverse teaching methods (play-based, reflective and experiential). She has also consulted on the design and delivery of a social innovation workshop series for Social Prosperity Wood Buffalo (external link)  including subjects such as youth resilience and Indigenous innovation, and is an international team member for Agents of Change. She has served in a voluntary capacity on the advisory board for the McConnell Foundation ReCode Program (external link) , as a DiverseCity (external link)  fellow, an Inclusion and Philanthropy fellow (external link) , with her local church C3 Toronto (external link)  and supporting women in federal prisons through Community Justice Initiatives. (external link) 

Please join me in welcoming Anita to Ryerson University, and congratulating her on this appointment.
 

Kelly MacKay
Vice-Provost, Academic